HGTC, CCU add new fields of study to students in 2014

CONWAY, SC (WMBF) - Students at CCU and HGTC's main campus are cruising through their first week of classes. A new year and new programs are being premiered at both institutions. From recent high school graduates to retirees, it means more choices and opportunity for the local community to take advantage.

CCU has three new ones:

- Education Specialist - a degree for people who already have a Masters and experience in the classroom, but want to move into education administration.

- Master's degree for Arts and Liberal Studies

- Bachelor's of Science in Information Technology - a joint program where students have the option to complete two years at HGTC before spending two years at CCU.

"About 50 percent of the students who graduate from our high schools in South Carolina go to two-year programs. So, it's very good for us to have a relationship with them and to be able to attract those students that are looking to complete their four-year degrees," said Ralph Byington, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at CCU.

HGTC has two brand new programs:

- Sports Tourism

- Advanced Manufacturing

Horry County officials are making a big push for more manufacturing companies to move to the area.

"And we're trying to have our citizens in our service area trained for those particular jobs," said Brandon Haseldon, Academic Chair, professor of Advanced Manufacturing and Machine Tool Welding at HGTC.

And the response from the community has been in support of the goal. "Absolutely huge. In machine tool and welding, we've got waiting lists just as long as the registered applicants."

For both CCU and HGTC, the new programs are an effort to attract new students. Both schools say the idea is to grow and appeal to those of who want to get into a career or find a new career, and retirees who need a hobby.

Neither institution plans to slow down.

CCU has plans in motion to drastically increase its student base and part of that is bringing more areas of studies to the table.

HGTC already has the brewing program set to kick off next year and its gaining interest across the state.

Over a three-year span, seven doctors in the Grand Strand and the Pee Dee wrote nearly 71,000 prescriptions for fewer than 13,000 elderly or disabled patients enrolled in the Medicare prescription program.

Over a three-year span, seven doctors in the Grand Strand and the Pee Dee wrote nearly 71,000 prescriptions for fewer than 13,000 elderly or disabled patients enrolled in the Medicare prescription program.

The superintendent for Horry County Schools is addressing the “careless yet harmful comments” some district students have made in the week since the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 dead.

The superintendent for Horry County Schools is addressing the “careless yet harmful comments” some district students have made in the week since the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 dead.